Grace Explores Career Paths with Neeley Fellows

Grace

Katherine Grace, Collegiate, 2023, had the opportunity to spend her fall break in New York City as part of the professional development journey of the Neeley Fellows Program at Texas Christian University (TCU). The Neeley Fellows program is an honors business program focused on enhancing students’ professional development, academic experience, and support network. The cohort comprises 30 undergraduates (top 3%) who attend career-focused weekly labs and MBA-level classes.

During the trip, Katherine engaged in networking with alums and business professionals, explored various career opportunities through site visits at Adobe, JP Morgan, Deloitte, NYSE, Google, Bloomberg, and more, and experienced life as a young professional in the city. Through this experience, the cohort built lasting relationships and enhanced the TCU Neeley Fellows program.

Katherine shared, “As I reflect on my time in New York, I’m incredibly grateful to the O’Shaughnessy Foundation for making this experience possible. Visiting these leading companies has alleviated my anxieties about the future and provided me with a clearer career path. This trip has ignited my passion for career exploration and motivated me to begin seeking internships and job opportunities.”

Grace Returns from Tokyo

Grace

Katherine Grace, Collegiate, 2023, recently wrapped up her freshman year at Texas Christian University. She was provided the opportunity to travel abroad to Tokyo, Japan, where she took an Honors College course called ‘Video Games and Culture.’ This unique course took her on a journey through various districts of Tokyo and even to Kyoto, exploring the impact of video games on Japanese culture – a topic with far more influence in Japan than in the United States.

The hands-on learning experience included interactions with students at the world’s top video game high school and creating her own video game, which she presented as her final project. Beyond video games, Katherine participated in calligraphy sessions, observed a sacred Japanese tea ceremony, and visited over fifteen temples and places of worship, making ethnographic observations along the way.
Reflecting on her experience, Katherine shared, “The O’Shaughnessy Foundation granted me a transformative opportunity. It was an incredible experience that broadened my perspective on the world around me. From making ethnographic observations to analyzing the influence of video games on Japanese culture, I stamped my passport in a new and unique way. It was an action-packed trip that stimulated my intellectual curiosity and fostered an intense desire to be a lifelong learner. I am profoundly grateful to the O’Shaughnessy Foundation for making this trip possible.”